8 Tips for Getting Your Home Sold on Today’s Market

1. Audit your agent's online marketing. 92% of homebuyers start their house hunt online, and they will never even get in the car to come see your home if the online listings aren't compelling. In real estate, compelling means pictures! Our study shows that listings with more than 6 pictures are twice as likely to be viewed by buyers as listings that had fewer than 6 pictures. Most listing agents give sellers an online marketing plan when they come to sign the listing agreement. After your home is on the market, go back to that plan and visit the sites your agent said your home would be listed on - make sure the pictures are sufficient in number and in quality to put your house in its best light. 2. Post a video love letter about your home on YouTube. Get a $125 FlipCam and walk through your home AND your neighborhood, telling prospective buyers about the best bits - what your family loved about the house, your favorite bakery or coffee shop that you frequented on Saturday mornings, etc. Buyers like to know that a home was well-loved, and it helps them visualize living a great life there, too. 3. Let your neighbors choose their neighbors. If you belong to neighborhood online message boards or email lists, send a link to your home's online listing to your neighbors. Also, invite your neighbors to your open house - turn it into a block party. That creates opportunities for your neighbors to sell the neighborhood to prospective buyers and for your neighbors to invite house hunters they know who have always wanted to live in the area. 4. Facebook your home's listing. Facebook is the great connector of people these days. If you have 200 friends and they each have 200 friends, imagine the power of that network in getting the word out about your house! Share the links to your home's online listings with your friends on Facebook. 5. Leave some good stuff behind. We've all heard about closing cost credits, but those are almost so common now that buyers expect them - they don't really distinguish your house from any of the other homes on the market anymore. What can distinguish your home is leaving behind some of your personal property, ideally items that are above and beyond what the average homebuyer in your home's price range would be able to afford. That may be stainless steel kitchen appliances or a plasma screen TV, or it might be a golf cart or other amenities if your home is on the golf course. 6. Best the competition with condition. In many markets, much of the competition is super-low- priced foreclosures and short sales. As an individual homeowner, the way you can compete is on condition. Consider having a termite inspection in advance of listing your home, and get as many of the repairs done as you can - it's a major selling point to be able to advertise a very low or non-existent pest repair bill. Also, make sure that the little nicks and scratches, doorknobs that don't work, and wonky handles are all repaired before you start showing your home - the extra mile 7. Stage the exterior of your home. We've all heard about home staging, but staging the exterior of your home is probably equally important. Stage the exterior with fresh paint, immaculate landscaping and even outdoor furniture to set up a Sunday brunch on the deck vignette, etc. - buyers often fantasize that the ability to enjoy their backyards by entertaining, spending time outside, etc. will make their lives happier than almost anything else in their new home. 8. Access is essential. Homes that don't get shown don't get sold. And many foreclosures and short sale listings are vacant, so they can be shown anytime. Don't make it difficult for agents to get their clients into your home - if they have to make appointments way in advance, or can only show it during a very restrictive time frame, they will likely just cross your place off the list and go show the places that are easy to get into.